SOCIAL

EA Claim: Guaranteed Classroom Temps Between 17 and 30

The best way of addressing the issue of extreme temperatures is through our Enterprise Agreement.

Enterprise Agreement Negotiations

Our log of claims includes the following:

That ETD guarantees an indoor temperature between 17° and 30° in all workplaces at all times.

That ETD agrees to discuss minimum and maximum temperatures for outdoor work.

This claim has not been discussed at the bargaining table yet. It was not addressed in ETD's October 24 offer. Achieving this claim remains the best way of addressing the issue of extreme temperatures in our classrooms on a long-term basis.

AEU ACT Policy

The AEU ACT policy on extreme temperatures states: The AEU believes that members have a right to decline to teach in situations where classroom temperatures are lower than 17 degrees Celsius or more than 30 degrees Celsius.

The grounds for AEU ACT policy are straightforward. Classrooms in which the temperature exceeds 30 degrees are not only highly unpleasant working environments, they can be dangerous and they are certainly not conducive to learning. The vast majority of office environments, including those of other ACT public servants, have air-conditioning or are otherwise designed to ensure reasonable temperatures. The fact that, as educators, we share our working space with dozens of young people makes appropriate cooling more important, not less.

Time for ACT Government to Honour Promise to Invest in Schools

The ACT Government committed to investing $70 million in upgrading infrastructure in ACT schools prior to the last election and at this point only around $3 million of that money has been allocated.

Working together, we can achieve this urgent improvement in our working conditions and our students' learning conditions.